University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Wagner
Carolina Finishes Undefeated In Pool Play
March 10, 2007 | Softball
March 10, 2007
CLEARWATER, FLA. --- Breanna Brown went 2-3 with a run and an RBI as North Carolina added a sixth-inning tally to break a 2-2 tie and went on to claim a 3-2 victory over Wagner in its final game of pool play Saturday at Eddie C. Moore Field. With the win, the Tar Heels secured an undefeated, 5-0 blitz through Pool A and a top seed in the Gold Flight championship bracket while running their overall winning streak to 13 games.
Carolina pushed two runs across in the top of the third to get the scoring started, giving UNC an early 2-0 lead. Breanna Brown and Jennifer Jacobs each collected an RBI base hit in the frame as the Tar Heels capitalized on a Wagner error at the start of the inning.
Meanwhile, Danielle Spaulding held the Seahawks hitless for 2.1 innings in her first career start in the circle for the Tar Heels Amber Johnson came on in relief. Johnson worked out of a minor jam in the third and pitched a scoreless fourth before running into trouble in the fifth. A single and a walk to the first two batters would come back to haunt UNC as both runners scored on a two-RBI single from Katie Stevens. The Seahawks went on to load the bases in the frame but a groundout to third sent the game to the sixth tied 2-2.
That's when the Tar Heels found some late-inning magic for the second straight game. Third baseman Joslin Higgins singled to center field to open the frame, and second baseman Cassie Palmer sacrificed her over to second. One batter later, a sacrifice fly to right field from Brown moved Higgins to third and when the throw scooted past the bag, Higgins popped up and headed for home, beating the throw to put UNC up 3-2.
Johnson set the side down in order in both the sixth and the seventh to preserve the win, moving her record to 9-2. Johnson pitched 4.2 innings, giving up four hits and striking out six.
With the win, North Carolina will begin bracket play as Pool A's No. 1 seed, and will play at 4 p.m. Saturday against Tennessee Tech.
